“Check” Flag Welcomes Czech Prime Minister to Pakistan

by Justin Glow on

What’s wrong with this picture?

Adil Najam, founding editor of the All Things Pakistan blog, was driving back from the airport in Islamabad when he noticed a banner welcoming Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek to the capital city. A kind notion, for sure, but there’s one problem: whoever created the banner used a “check” flag instead of a Czech flag.

“I rushed back to see if I would figure out who was responsible for this little gaffe and maybe alert them to the mistake before the Czech PM arrived,” writes Adil. “Unfortunately, it turned out that the Czech PM was already here.”

Adil’s theory — and I tend to agree with him — is the person responsible for designing the banner mistakenly Google’d “check flag” instead of “Czech flag”.

See what I mean? [via]

Earth Day Celebrations Around the World

by Jamie Rhein on

From Karachi, Pakistan to Koh Samui, Thailand to Chelewah, Washington people are celebrating the earth this weekend. Yep, Earth Day is April 22. You can plant trees, clean up a beach, go to a lecture, canoe, pet animals, hike, dance, sing, participate in a 5-K run and eat Earth Day fare at an Earth Day fair somewhere on the planet. The calendar page of the website Envirolink: The Online Environment Community lists scads of possibilities.

Each link goes to a link that links to each event’s website for more information. This is a place you can spend a lot of time just to see what people who are environmentally conscience are up to. Here’s one event that caught my attention. John Muir’s Birthday Hike is taking place near Madison, Wisconsin. Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club and his boyhood home is part of the John Muir Memorial County Park. This event includes talks about Muir and his writing. Plus, there is a hike and a tour of the house he grew up in.

To find an Earth Day event near you, check out the Earth Day website. It looks like you can type in where you live and events near you will pop up. If you’re wondering what started Earth Day, here is an overview.

Also, stay tuned for Gadling’s April 22 posts when Gadling writers’ pay homage to Earth Day with their special brand of posts and whatnot.

The World’s Most Dangerous Destinations for 2007

by Willy Volk on

Here at Gadling, we usually profile places people WANT to go. However, sometimes it’s useful to mention places to avoid. Consequently, here’s an interesting (and not altogether surprising) list of the 2007’s 12 Most Dangerous Destinations:

  • Somalia
  • Iraq
  • Afghanistan
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Pakistan
  • Burundi
  • Sri Lanka
  • Haiti
  • Chad
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia

Of course, you probably don’t think of these places as vacation destinations, unless you’re a whacked-out Robert Young Pelton. However, employees of governments, oil and mining industries, and telecom industries are increasingly being dispatched to these locations. If you work for one of those groups, be certain to ask about insurance, hazard pay — and a bodyguard.

Interestingly, the piece argues that the world is NOT getting more dangerous right now. Rather, globalization and the attendant “shrinking” of the planet is largely responsible for making the world APPEAR more dangerous now than before. Whether or not you agree with that assertion, the article is interesting, and the gallery is frightening.

Promoting Sindhi Culture Through Motion Animated Dolls

by Willy Volk on

Danyal handicrafts is comprised of members of the Solangi family. Together, they make “electrical operated functional cultural models,” which are doll-like, mini-robots that help demonstrate and explain the culture of the Sindhi people, who are found in Pakistan and India.

These “cultural models” are amazingly lifelike and can be positioned in culturally-relevant settings. As for the “electrical” part? The models move!
Danyal has some super-short videos of, for example, a woman preparing a meal, a man throwing a clay pot, and another man, um, relaxing.

While I’m not sure these are going to be the hot new toy for Christmas this year, it’s interesting to remember that not every culture thinks Barbie is representative of its people.

On second thought, what culture does think Barbie is representative of its people?

[VIa Metroblogging Karachi]

Photo of the Day (12/18/06)

by Iva Skoch on

This is a recent photo of a resort area called Nathiagali, in northern Pakistan. The picture reveals the reality: lush evergreen forests, high mountains (8200 ft, where this photo was taken). While the photo may not be like some of the super artsy items we’ve thrown on these pages, I got this from a friend who is an embassy worker in Pakistan. The photo is here because it’s a glimpse of a world that we hear a lot about (mostly bad, unfortunately), but about which we, as Westerners, know almost nothing. (To plan your trip, start here. For more photos, try here.) Thanks, Suzi!